


love is not a victory march

by black_sun



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Angst, Cancer, Doctor Iwaizumi Hajime, I'm Sorry, M/M, Married Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Romance, Wedding Planning, it hurts me too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24611308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_sun/pseuds/black_sun
Summary: Iwaizumi was not expecting to meet his future fiancé during his shift.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 12





	love is not a victory march

**Author's Note:**

> I am not sure how the hospitals abroad work, and I definitely know very little about cancer and its treatment, the internet research can help only this much :) so if there are any mistakes and inaccuracies, I'm very sorry. also if there are any typos or grammar mistakes, please let me know as well.
> 
> the idea came to me after rewatching 1x4 of scrubs. uhhhh enjoy the ride!

There’s something Iwaizumi has always hated about spring mornings. They feel like a change of life is coming, something new and exciting, they smell like new beginnings and bright, happy future. But it’s all a big lie. Especially if you’re working at the hospital. There, the light of a spring morning does nothing for someone dying. For someone losing a loved one. For someone hearing the shocking news. Sure, nice things happen too, people get better and leave that place with a smile on their face. But… For whatever reason, when Iwaizumi wakes up today and sees a sunny, pleasant spring morning light, he feels that this day will be exceptionally hard.

There are days when Iwaizumi regrets choosing the medical field. It’s stressful, exhausting and not as rewarding as he was promised. Perhaps, he should’ve become a pediatrician like Yamaguchi. There would be less deaths on his hands for sure. At the same time, he wouldn’t actually change the way things are right now. He’s not giving up just because not everything goes right. He’s stubborn like that. 

His career choice in general was surprising to his teammates and friends. His parents were proud, although a little confused as well. It wasn’t like he’d shown any interest in medicine, but then again, he was busy with school and volleyball, not really giving any hints at what he would like to do in the future. 

And it was an unexpected decision even for Iwaizumi himself when he chose oncology to advance in. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but couldn’t predict what would happen on that one fateful day.

Actually, everything goes wrong as soon as he wakes up. Looking at his phone, he realises that his alarm didn’t go off (or he didn’t hear it, but that usually never happens) and now he can barely make it in time. Running through his morning routine, Iwaizumi spills scalding hot coffee, burning himself and ruining his shirt. On his way to work someone painfully elbows him, so now he will probably have a bruise on his side. To make matters worse, as he comes up from the subway, the rain starts pouring out of nowhere, the skies were bright blue just an hour ago, and of course Iwaizumi didn’t take his umbrella. 

He stumbles through the doors, soaking wet and gritting his teeth because he didn’t have time to deal with the burn and it kinda hurts now. Nothing can make this day worse, Iwaizumi is sure of it.

He hardly manages to change into some dry clothes that he keeps in his locker, when he’s told that there’s a patient already waiting for him. 

So he goes to see a young woman who is going through chemo, and then there are people just coming and going - some who just start their treatment, some hoping that it works, others just coming to check up. Thankfully, everything looks more or less good, there’s some progress where it should be, and by the time it’s lunch break, Iwaizumi feels way better compared to the morning. The way he felt when he woke up is still lingering in the back of his mind.

The second half of the day is slower, so Iwaizumi has time to go through some papers piling up between patients. It’s not the worst day, he thinks. 

It’s close to 7 p.m. when he goes to get some coffee just to stop himself from constantly nodding off, and is stopped by a nurse. 

«There’s someone to see you…»

«Bring them in, I’ll be there in a couple minutes,» he says before she can finish. She nods and gives him a chart, as she turns around and goes back to that patient, Iwaizumi supposes. 

He quickly finishes his coffee and very briefly skims over what’s written on the chart. Apparently, there’s a knee lump, several tests were made in a hospital and the patient was sent to their center with the results. 

When he comes in the room, there’s already a man sitting on a bed. Iwaizumi glances at him for a second before closing the door.

«Oh, hello, doc,» the patient has a tight smile on his face as he swings one of his legs dangling from the hospital bed. 

«And you are… Oikawa Tooru, am I correct?» Iwaizumi reads from a clip, looking over the information there, while walking closer to the bed. Then he stops abruptly, halfway through a step, and stares at that name. And then looks up at the patient. His hair looks familiar, so do his eyes. The name tastes bittersweet on his tongue, like burning bridges and missing someone who’s already a ghost in your mind. 

«Yeah, that’s me!» Oikawa tries, for some reason, to sound positive and relaxed. Being in the oncology center means there’s very little to be positive about right now.

«I’m Iwaizumi, you will be at least starting your treatment with me.» 

He doesn’t know if he’s mistaken or if the man just doesn’t remember him. He’s a memory from the past long gone, the best friend turned into empty spot on their playground when his parents took him away because they needed to move. Iwaizumi didn’t feel as close with anybody as he did back then with that twelve-year-old boy.

«Wait, do I know you?» Oikawa says, scanning Iwaizumi with his eyes. «I feel like I know you from some time ago…»

«You used to call me Iwa-chan,» Iwaizumi blurts out, catching that possibility. If he remembers… He doesn’t actually know what would happen then. But it would be nice to know that he’s not mistaken. «Well, if you are who I think you are, that is.»

Oikawa thinks for a while, humming under his breath, like he’s sorting through his mind, and then his eyes widen and he practically jumps to his feet, only his bad leg stopping him. His unnatural smile morphs into a somewhat sincere one. 

«Well,» he sighs, «that was a long time ago, Iwa-chan.»

Iwaizumi lets a smile slip up on his face, but quickly regains his composure and looks over his chart again. And that’s when he realises, that yes, this day has just become very, very hard. And the fact that they both remembered only makes it harder now.

«I’m sorry that we have to reunite under such circumstances. But I have to say, your tests don’t look too good. We’ll have you get an MRI scan today. Wait here, please, I’ll be right back.» 

Oikawa nods and lies down, throwing a hand over his eyes. 

«It’s not like I can run away from here with that fucking pain in my leg,» he mumbles as the door closes behind Iwaizumi.

**Author's Note:**

> other chapters will be longer, I just rushed this one a bit because it didn't work out like I wanted lol  
> I will try to post updates once a week, maybe two weeks, depends on the workload and a shared laptop accessibility :)


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